Have you attended a funeral and heard someone share something about the person who passed that was not known? Often it is of unique interest, honoring, or a bit amusing. If you contemplate that happening at your own funeral, you might be tempted to think, “I’ll be gone, and I don’t care what they know about me at that point.” However, there will be a time when we will care what is revealed. 

“But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ” (Romans 14:10).

“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works” (Revelation 20:11-12).

Even if we are saved by the blood, our actions will be revealed and judged. Nothing will be hidden, no secret sins that are not revealed. Oh my brothers, let us walk to please the One Who purchased us with His blood. 

“Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more” (1 Thessalonians 4:1).

It sure disappoints me when I miss an opportunity for something that is important to me. For example, one thing I love to do is give praise to the Lord for the things He does in my life and the world around me. I’m guessing you feel that way too. 

What I’ve done is to consider the things in His Word that give glory to my Father, the magnificent, holy, righteous God of creation Who is on the throne. One example: “I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together” (Psalms 34:1-3). 

I’ve found the easiest way to begin is simply when anyone asks how I’m doing. (Indirectly asking me to glorify my God.) My answer is always “Blessed!” Even with the passing of my beloved mother-in-law, I’m still blessed. She was a special part of our lives for over 34 years, living next door to her. It was a great sadness with her passing, but oh how God blessed. She knew the Lord and served Him greatly. Her passing caused me great introspection on the brevity of life and God’s goodness and mercy every day. How blessed we are to live in this country. We still have the freedom to share Christ openly and worship Him as a group of believers. 

To magnify is to make something big so its features can be easily observed and appreciated. Therefore, we explain how God is good or how we receive His mercy and grace. These will take more thought than simply replying “Blessed.” But as you get in the habit of saying, “Blessed,” and you think more about how God is good to you, it will become easier. Another I use frequently is, “Thankful God is on the throne.” Come up with more and use them. I’d love to hear what you are saying to glorify Him. 

Go for it. Magnify the Lord, my brothers. 

(Note) I was exceedingly encouraged by your responses to my question last week. I know that anything good in Seriously is a result of God’s grace in what to write. Your responses were affirmation that He is in it and blessing you all in your walk with Him.

I remember a time years back when I noticed one of the children meticulously inspecting the inside of a pair of socks. Quite perplexed, I asked, “What are you looking for?” “Hairs.” 

“Why would you look for hairs in your socks?” 

“Because it tickles my feet if there is one in there.” 

In all my years of wearing socks, never was that a problem for me. As I thought about it, I was amazed at how sensitive the bottom of that child’s foot must be to feel a hair. 

Then the prayerful thought came, “Oh Lord, may I have such a spiritual sensitivity in my life that I can sense the slightest grieving of Your Holy Spirit by my actions, words, or even thoughts. May I be willing to examine my life ever so closely for those minor things that could been offensive to You, Lord, or others?”

“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30). 

We give out sweet bread every year at Christmas time to our extended neighborhood. Out of the almost 75 houses on our list, four people died this year. Three out of the four had no reason to think they would be six feet in the ground in one year’s time. The fourth had a serious health problem and was just waiting until it was over. Those four people who were here last Christmas, are now gone from this world.

Brothers, are you living every day and every week as if it was your last? Are you living for your Lord or living for yourself? Are you loving God or the world? Are you loving your family as God calls you to? Are you in the Word every night instructing them in the way they should go? Are you an example to them of what you are reading and discussing? Would their memories of you be that you were a steadfast man of God who loved and spoke often of the Savior. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

 Just yesterday a man at a car parts store said he was saved. Yet, he wasn’t in the Word and wasn’t going to church. There seemed to be no evidence that he was bought with a price. 

“And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:19-21).

Oh, my brothers, are we living all day every day for the One who died for us?

I just got off the phone with the most professional customer service rep I ever spoke with. She knew her job, was polite, and helpful. There were three things she took the time to tell me that weren’t necessary but might be helpful for me to know later. When I worked with someone who cared about her job and the customer she was attempting to assist, even if my problem wasn’t immediately resolved I had confidence and peace going forward. What a pleasure she was. 

The call prompted some self examination for me. Isn’t part of my “job” as an ambassador for Christ to be like that customer service rep? How knowledgeable am I of the One I represent and what it means to be a follower of Him? In addition to my Bible knowledge, am I polite, kind, and loving? Am I living the reality of the One I am called to represent? If heaven and my Lord are so wonderful, wouldn’t it create many questions if others see me living for the world? 

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

Have you noticed how there is an app for everything these days? If you need any type of fast food, a service, tickets to go somewhere, some kind of product, it can all be had by an app on your phone. Now with AI the list of questions one can ask is limitless.

Maybe a new idea for an app would be one that gives guidance on whether or not something is permissible for a Christian. You know, the kind of app that would tell you if the activity was sin? You could type in, “should I go to …or watch ….” and it searches Scripture and comes back with an answer. Hmm, but that might be pretty difficult considering the key words people would enter these days for their search such as a movie title, particular amusement, concert, entertainment, sports event, or TV show.  Those might be what a Christian would want direction on but those words aren’t even in Scripture. But that doesn’t mean we have to abandon the idea of an app.The question could be typed in: “Should I go/do …..” The answer would come back: “Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him” (2 Corinthians 5:9). Then one could click on the word “accepted” and it would give the Greek word meaning (g2101. εὐάρεστος euarestos; from 2095 and 701; fully agreeable: — acceptable(-ted), wellpleasing.” (Strongs Concordance).

Wouldn’t that be incredible? Actually, why go to all the expense of an app when the answer is simple. Shouldn’t everything we do be evaluated by, “If I do it, will it please the Lord that owns me and my time?” And if that isn’t clear enough, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Will my doing it bring my Lord glory? 

Or “That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:10). That something not only isn’t sinful, but in view of God’s heart, is it excellent? 

No need for an app. It really is pretty simple isn’t it? May we use our precious time on what will bring our Lord glory and please Him. 

Two men were standing outside the entrance to the Colosseum. One said, “This should be great today. I heard there were 13 of those worthless Christians who are going to feed the lions today. It was really good last week. One guy put up quite a fight, but he had no chance.”

Then he says to the other man, “Hey, we can go in now. Aren’t you going in?” 

“No I’ll be staying out here.” 

The other replied, “Don’t let a little blood bother you.” 

The other one replied soberly, “It was my dad’s last week, and it will be my mom and sister’s today.”

“He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight” (Psalms 72:14).

“And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration” (Revelation 17:6).

It seems like everyone has a favorite story to tell when talking with someone new. What’s yours? Recently, a brother in Christ told me that the Christian group he is a member of encourages them to polish and hone their personal testimony to make it interesting, clear, and less than 2 minutes long to be used when meeting people. I realized I was missing opportunities and began using my testimony more. 

Our testimonies should be incredibly powerful. Imagine someone being born again. Huh, what’s that? Seriously, are you for real? “. . . can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?” (John 3:4b). 

Change should be the true response after encountering the Living God of the universe, much like the demoniac in Luke 5. He was a changed man after he encountered Jesus. Jesus then sent him to go home to his friends and tell them the great things that the Lord did for him (Mark 5:19).

 Paul had no demon, but after his encounter with Christ, he was a new person. The same was true for the Apostles. They were normal men, but then they were changed. 

Brothers, are you a changed person after receiving Jesus? If not, then the question is: Why not? First, make sure you are truly saved – no change without salvation. If you are saved, then are you living for Him who died for you? “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).